Of Elves and Men
by Caribbean1989
Summary: Kili and Thorin are injured when the Company is attacked by Orcs and Wargs just outside Rivendell. However, Kili hides his injuries, so they can get Thorin the help he needs. Rated T to be safe. This is my first ever fic, so I am interested to know what you think! Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
1. Chapter 1

He felt the Orc's arrow lodge itself into his shoulder. As a reply he fired an arrow in the direction of the Orc, which hit it right in the eye and the Orc fell lifeless to the ground. Kili stumbled back against the rocks he was hiding behind, breaking the arrow of as close to the tip as possible, letting out a soft moan in pain. He would worry later about the tip buried in his flesh. Thorin was more important at the moment.

All the Dwarves, and even the Hobbit, were defending the motionless body of their leader.

Thorin lay on his side on the grass, his eyes closed and white as snow. From where he stood, Kili could see two arrows sticking out of his uncle's chest and a pool of blood on the ground.

"In Durin's name, let him still be alive", he muttered to himself.

Close to his uncle he could see Fili slaying a Warg. He, too, was covered in blood, which was also partly his own. A large gash could be seen on his forearm and he was moving as if his back was killing him. Kili felt a surge of relief to see his brother was still on his feet and fighting off the enemy.

As sudden as the attack had begun, it also ended. Most of the Orcs and Wargs lay dead on the grass, and the remaining two fled for their lives.

The Company gathered quickly around Thorin, and Kili picked up his pack from the ground where he dropped it. He too made his way over to his uncle, worried sick about the state he would find him in. On the short walk it took, he made sure the straps of his pack were covering up his injury. He didn't need the others fumbling over his injuries at the moment, they should be making sure Thorin was alive.

When Kili reached the rest of the company, Balin was already kneeling beside Thorin, checking on his condition with a worried expression on his face. Fili greeted his brother with a bear hug, relieved to see his brother. The hug caused Kili to hiss in pain, for Fili's strong arms wrapped around him tightly. Fili pulled away from him, looking frightened. "Are you injured?", he asked, panic sounding through in his voice. "No, just a little bruised", Kili answered. Fili watched his brother disbelievingly for a moment, but then dropped the matter. The brothers turned to Balin to get more information about their uncle.

From closeby Thorin's wounds looked even more severe. The arrows were stuck on the right side of his chest and his breathing was pained. He lay unconscious on the grass, which was already stained with quite a large amount of his blood.

Balin was examining Thorin's wounds. "No major organs or blood vessels seem to be hit, but these wounds are beyond my skill to mend. Orcs' arrows are usually poisonous".

Balin looked up at Gandalf, who had also rejoined the company. "What can we do?" he asked the wizard, a sad tone to his voice. Gandalf thought those words over for a moment. "I know that he will not like it" the old wizard said hesitantly, "but his best chances lie with Lord Elrond of Rivendell. The Elves' land is closeby". "What are we waiting for then?!", said Dwalin, surprising the other Dwarves.

"What?! No!" came the angry reply from Glóin. "You want him to live, don't you?!" Dwalin shouted, leaving the other Dwarves speechless, "you heard the wizard, the Elves are his only chance!".

Gloin looked at Balin for support, but the white-haired dwarf merely looked back sadly, his internal struggle showing on his face. "We should go" he said firmly after some time, "otherwise we can just as well bury him here right away!".

Dwalin bent over Thorin and broke the arrows off, to avoid inflicting him more pain on the journey to Rivendell. He then lifted Thorin over his shoulder as carefully as possible. For a moment it looked as though the Dwarf prince was regaining his consciousness, for he left out a soft moan and twitched his fingers. The Company looked hopeful at their leader, but hereafter he went completely limp again and hung like a rag doll over Dwalin's shoulder.

Gandalf and Dwalin led the way in the direction of Rivendell. Dwalin walked as carefully as possible, to prevent his prince being jostled too much and causing him more pain.

The rest of the Company followed in silence. Fili was bandaging the gash on his forearm, Bofur was cleaning his hat from all the blood of the Orcs and Wargs and Bombur was already eating again.

Kili walked silently next to his brother. Balin's words about the arrows being poisonous had scared him, but still he had kept his mouth shut about his injury. In the meantime, every step he took was getting harder and black spots were appearing in front of his eyes. He started stumbling over small rocks and uneven spaces in the ground. The poison of the arrow was seeping into his body. Fili had been watching his brother from the corner of his eyes for some time now, pretending to be adjusting his bandage. Kili had turned ghostly white, which worried Fili. After quite a bad stumble from his brother, which nearly brought him down, he grabbed his younger brother by the elbow, stopping him in his tracks. "Are you really alright?" he asked him. "Yes, off course I am, stop worrying about me", came Kili's bitter reply, casting his brother an irritated look. "I am just exhausted from that battle", he added. "You know you can tell me if anything is wrong, right?" Fili told his brother.

"Will you stop it? I told you I am fine" Kili said angrily and walked on, leaving his brother behind.

Fili looked at his brother's back like a kicked puppy. He couldn't say that his brother's words hadn't hurt him. Kili had never uttered a single word to him in that tone, not even when they were in a fight. He was angry with his brother, but at the same time he was worried. It was not like Kili to behave like this. "Something is really wrong with him", he whispered to himself, also walking on again, but making sure to keep some distance between himself and Kili.

Without the comforting feeling of his brother walking beside him, Fili was starting to feel the pain of his own injuries. The gash on his arm was throbbing and every muscle in his back was aching. He bit his lip and marched on, they needed to make it to Rivendell, Thorin was in desperate need of help. Fili cast a glance at his uncle, who still hung motionless over Dwalin's shoulders. "Hang in there, uncle" he muttered to himself.

The Company trudged on in silence. Suddenly Gandalf made a triumphant sound and pointed towards a large rock. "There is the pathway through the mountains and into Rivendell", he said.

Gandalf led the way over to the rocks and slid down into the small cave which was the entrance to the pathway. Balin slid down next and helped Dwalin get Thorin down as carefully as possible. The dwarf prince had not given any more signs of reaching consciousness.

Fili slid down into the cave, easily, trying not to hurt his back any more. Kili, who was close behind him, bumped into him at the bottom of the cave. Fili let out a involuntary gasp of pain when his brother's shoulders collided with the painful bruises on his back. He turned round to look at his younger brother, who ignored him and stumbled along in the direction of the pathway.

Fili sighed. He was still not convinced that Kili was alright and he did not understand why he would not just admit it...


	2. Chapter 2

The pathway was very narrow and steep at some points. Dwalin had to walk carefully and slowly to avoid bumping Thorin into the rocks at the side of the path.  
Fili walked right behind Kili, who was tripping over every rock on the path now. He was sure his brother would faint somewhere along the way, and, even when he was still angry with him, he would be there to catch him if he fell.

The Company advanced quite quickly, although Bombur got stuck already twice and Gandalf hit his head several times on overhanging rocks. Kili would normally have roared with laughter about these things, Fili thought. But now they could not even make the corners of his mouth twitch or put a sparkle in his eyes.

More light showed through with every step they took, the end of the pathway was definitely getting closer. After a little walk further the pathway opened up into a mountain pass. Balin nearly bumped into Bilbo, who had stopped, looking ahead in utter amazement. Beside the mountain they had passed through, lay a large valley and a little ahead they could see the roofs and courtyards of Rivendell. Below in the valley a river was flowing and everywhere waterfalls made their way down from the mountains. The sun bathed the entire sight in a golden light.

Fili felt his spirits rise. They had made it, help was near now. He cast a look at Thorin, who hung still unconscious over Dwalin's shoulder, his chest rising and falling slowly. If Fili hadn't known better he could pretend his uncle was just sleeping peacefully.  
"Well" said Gandalf, moving on, "let's not keep Lord Elrond waiting".  
"Waiting?" said Bofur doubtingly "he does not even know we are here".  
"Oh" said Gandalf smiling, "Lord Elrond has already known for some time that we are on his grounds and heading towards him. He knows everything that happens around here".

And indeed, when the Company passed over one of the narrow bridges that formed the entrance to Rivendell, they found Elrond already waiting in the stone courtyard on the other side, watching them as they crossed the bridge one by one.  
"Gandalf!" Elrond greeted the wizard when he came close, "long time no see".  
"Lord Elrond" answered Gandalf, with a little bow of his head, before embracing the Elf "it has indeed been a long time since I have been here".  
"What brings you, thirteen dwarves and a hobbit to Rivendell?" Elrond asked Gandalf, cutting off the welcome greetings. "We have come to seek help, actually. One of our company was gravely injured in a battle with an Orc-pack just beyond your borders".

Elrond looked past Gandalf at Dwalin with Thorin still hung over his shoulder. Dwalin looked at Elrond apprehensively as he approached him. Elrond seemed to have caught it, for he looked him in the eye and said "I just want to help him".  
Dwalin considered that for a moment, but then slowly lowered Thorin and laid him down on the ground, his head falling to the side. Elrond knelt down beside him, carefully pulling aside his coat to have a better look at his wounds. His fingers traced the wounds, a grave look on his face.

"Is he going to be alright?" Bofur asked Elrond.  
"With the right care, I think he will be" Elrond answered. Suddenly he stood up and said something in Elvish to some Elves closeby, who came over, picked up Thorin and carried him away. "We are taking him to our House of Healing" Elrond said, addressing the Company in general, "we will be treating him there".

A sigh of relief went through the Company. Their leader was in good hands, there seemed to be hope again for his recovery and for their quest.  
However, the relieve was only short-lived. For suddenly they were all alarmed by a cry from Fili.  
"Kili!" he had yelped. His brother suddenly swayed alarmingly on his feet, his breathing had become heavy and his eyes unfocussed. Fili stared at his brother, frozen with fear.

With a thud and a metallic clank of his sword hitting the stones of the courtyard, Kili sank to his knees. Bowing his head he took a shuddering breath. Upon exhaling he let out a heartbreaking moan.  
"You idiot!" Fili told his brother, falling to his knees beside him, "you are absolutely not alright!". The panic sounding through in Fili's voice and visible in his eyes. All the Company stirred, they had not expected this to happen.

Kili did not seem to hear any of the uproar of his surroundings, he was close to losing consciousness altogether. He just sat on his knees, chin resting on his chest, eyes half-closed. Fili shifted so he was in front of his brother, facing him. He grabbed Kili's upper arms, shaking his brother a little. "Kili? Look at me, tell me what happened?! Please, come on…"

Fili felt everybody staring at his brother and himself. "Help him" he pleaded, looking at the others desperately, choking on the words.  
"Kili? "Kili, can you hear me?" Fili asked his brother again. Kili didn't make any sign of recognition. "I need you to tell me what happened to you" Fili said placing a hand on the back of his brother's neck.

Kili felt a comfortable warmth radiating from that hand, which pulled him back to reality a little. He let out another moan of pain and raised his head a little so he could look his brother in the eye. The look in his eyes was one of utter pain and fear. "What happened to you?" Fili asked him again, looking at him anxiously.

Kili raised a shaky hand in the direction of his left shoulder, his brother understood his meaning directly. "Help me get this pack of him" Fili said to no one in particular. Bofur stepped forward and knelt down beside Kili too. Together they carefully started removing the pack from Kili's back.

When Fili worked the strap on Kili's left shoulder, he let out a full blown scream and doubled over, burying his face in his brother's shoulder. Fili was scared, he could not stand that his actions had made his brother scream out in pain. He placed a hand on the back of Kili's head, who pressed his face deeper into his Fili's shoulder. "I am sorry" Fili said, voice breaking. Very carefully they were able to fully remove his pack. Kili winced another couple of times, a shiver went through Fili every time he did so.

As soon as Kili's pack lay beside him, his injuries had become immediately clear. On his left shoulder a large blood stain could be seen, together with the broken off arrow.  
"Oh my…" Fili muttered, looking horror-struck at his brother's wounds. He pushed Kili's chin up with his finger, making him look at him. "Why, Kili, why did you do this?! Why didn't you say anything?!"  
Fili was close to tears. Kili stared back at him with a pained expression on his face. "Sorry…" he managed to choke out. His eyes then rolled back in his head and he lost consciousness, slumping against his brother's chest. Fili wrapped his arms around his motionless brother. The feeling of Kili's, although laboured, breathing under his arms, calmed his down a little bit. At least his brother was still breathing.

Elrond appeared beside Fili. "Come with me" he said, placing a hand on Fili's shoulder, "we will get him the help he needs too". Fili gave a little nod. "I am sorry in advance for this, little brother" Fili said softly to Kili. He pushed his brother a little off him and placed a shoulder under his stomach, lifting him up over his shoulder with ease. Even though Kili was unconscious, he let out a groan of pain. Fili felt his heart break by that sound. Slowly he turned towards Elrond. "Please lead the way".

Elrond turned on the spot and started walking in the direction of the House of Healing. Fili following him, careful not to pain his brother any further. "Please Kili, don't go, don't leave me" Fili whispered to his brother. The tears stung in his eyes, and for the first time Fili allowed them to fall…


	3. Chapter 3

**First of all, I would like to thank you all for the lovely reviews! This is my first ever fic, so I was kind of hesitant about it. However, these positive reactions have definitely motivated me!  
****Well, on with the next chapter**

Fili followed Elrond through corridors and over courtyards, until they finally reached the House of Healing.  
The House of Healing was actually a collection of gazebo-like buildings, overlooking the stunning valley. The gazebo's were connected by wooden boardwalks. Elrond walked to the last gazebo and entered, Fili following him.

Inside it was nice and warm. There were three beds, along with some comfortable armchairs and a table. One of the beds was already occupied by Thorin, with a dark-haired Elf attending to his wounds. Elrond motioned to one of the beds and Fili carefully laid his brother down on it.

"How is he, Lindir?" Elrond asked the dark-haired Elf who was taking care of Thorin.  
"We have taken out the arrows and cleaned his wounds, he looks peaceful" answered Lindir.  
"Good" Elrond answered. Lindir nodded, "we will bandage his wounds now, then he can rest". Elrond nodded his approval.

Fili had slumped into one of the armchairs, closest to his brother's bed. He stared into nothingness, processing that day's events in his mind. Why had his brother not told anyone about his injury? Why had he driven himself to the limits of his strength to reach Rivendell on his own?  
At that moment it hit Fili that he could have lost his brother today. No, he could not allow himself to think like that. He had to be strong now, for Kili. He would have his answers later.

Elrond carefully peeled the layers of clothing away which were covering Kili's injury, until he had bared his shoulder. The tip of the arrow was still embedded in the wound, blood and puss were leaking from it. It was not a pretty sight.  
Kili suddenly let out a whimper, having regained consciousness enough to feel the pain of his injury again. Fili jumped up from the chair and was by his brother's side in no time. He took Kili's hand is his, speaking soothing words to him softly.

Elrond hesitated for a moment looking at the two brothers one by one. Somehow they reminded him of his own sons.  
"You're going to be fine" Fili assured his brother. "Hurts… so bad…" Kili choked out.  
"That's the poison of the arrow in the wound" Elrond told him, "it's a nasty wound, the poison had all the time to spread". Kili gave the Elf an apologetic look through half-closed eyes.

Elrond started working on the wound. As soon as his fingers made contact with Kili's skin to remove the arrowtip, Kili let out a scream. One hand took a tight hold of Fili's, nearly breaking his older brother's fingers. "Easy, Kili, you are doing great" Fili comforted his brother.

It felt like ages before Elrond finally said "the tip is out. I just need to clean the wound, then you're done". Kili nodded absentmindedly and took a still firmer grip on his brother's hand.  
Elrond cleaned Kili's wound as fast as he could. All the while he was working, Kili was on the verge of screaming out again from the pain. He was tossing about, trying to get away from the Elf's healing hands. All Fili could think of doing was allowing his brother to crush his hand an whisper soothing words to him. He knew Kili did not easily give in to pain, so him acting like this must mean the pain he was experiencing was excruciating.

Finally Elrond stepped back, looking down at Kili's bandaged shoulder.  
The pain had drained Kili of all his remaining energy. He lay quite still now, breathing heavily, still clutching his brother's hand. "It's OK, it's over" Fili said to him softly, in the meantime looking pleadingly at Elrond. The Elf understood his meaning.  
"Kili" Elrond said, "don't worry, I am just making sure that you will sleep for a while. You need to rest". Kili shifted his eyes to Elrond, showing his agreement. He looked like he was even looking forward to not having to deal with the pain for a while.

Elrond placed a hand on Kili's forehead and muttered words in a language neither Fili nor Kili understood. Fili felt his brother's grip on his hand loosen and his breathing slowed down, eyes closing slowly.  
"He will be sleeping for good while now" Elrond said, pulling his hand away, "he's going to be hurting for some time after, but I believe he will be fine". "Thank you" Fili muttered. Elrond nodded his head in return, giving Fili a small smile. He shortly checked upon Thorin in the next bed and then walked out of the gazebo, leaving Fili alone with his unconscious brother and uncle.

Fili sank back into the armchair. Now that his brother and uncle were safe and their wounds treated, the heavy load he had been carrying all day was lifted of his shoulders and he felt terribly exhausted. The warmth in the gazebo made him drowsy and before long he felt sleep overtake him.

Fili awoke with a start. He looked around disorientated for a moment, but slowly it all came back to him. He stretched, wincing as the muscles in his back protested. Outside the sun had set, and millions of stars had appeared in the clear sky. It must already be late in the evening.

He looked over at his brother. It looked like he had not moved since that afternoon, and he was still vast asleep. In the next bed Thorin looked still unconscious, lying deadly still.  
Slowly Fili rose from the chair, feeling he needed a whiff of fresh air. Silently he walked past the beds and stepped out onto the porch of the gazebo.

He leaned back against the wall of the gazebo, looking out over the star- and moonlit valley, the sky reflecting in the river below. His thoughts raced once again over the events of the day. How he had seen Thorin getting injured and believing him to have died, how he had been afraid that one of the Orcs or Wargs would kill him, the realisation that he could have lost Kili forever today…  
He felt panic rise, a rushing sound in his ears. He allowed himself to slide down against the wall. Sitting on the ground he pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face in them. Breathing heavily, he just sat there for he did not know how long.  
Being too preoccupied with trying to control his emotions, he completely missed the dark figure appearing on the porch beside him…


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks again for the lovely reviews! Here's the next chapter, hope you like it. All your reviews are appreciated :-)  
**

The figure stood still in the shadows for a long time, just looking down at the young dwarf.  
Fili, in the meantime, tried with all his might to control his breathing. Emotions were coursing through him like never before. He did not know what else to do than just let it happen, let it all pour out for a moment.

The figure in the shadows finally stepped out onto the moonlit porch, seeing Fili about to break down.  
"Fili?" a familiar voice said in a worried tone. Fili's head snapped up, he knew that voice very well, but it was the last one he had expected to hear. "Thorin!" Fili said surprised and at the same time immensely relieved to see his uncle awake. He quickly wiped his tears away, not wanting his uncle to see them.

Fili made to get up, but Thorin placed a large hand on his shoulder. "No, no. Stay down" he said.  
With a great effort Thorin sat down beside Fili. The actions causing him to wince in pain a couple of times, for his wounds protested. Fili had resumed his original position, with his face buried in his knees. He and Thorin just sat quietly for a while. The only sounds came from the waterfalls making their way down to the valley, and a soft wind rustling the leaves on the trees.

Thorin was the one to break the silence: "tell me what happened". Fili raised his head and looked at his uncle. "Obviously I have missed some things" Thorin added with a smile. Fili couldn't help but smile a little at Thorin's joke.  
Fili hesitated for a moment, he did not really feel like reliving the events again. He sighed, deciding that Thorin would probably not give in until Fili had told him everything. He took a deep breath and started to tell Thorin everything that had happened.

Thorin listened intently to Fili's story, a serious expression on his face. He noticed a change in Fili's voice when he spoke of Kili hiding his injuries and collapsing onto the stone courtyard. He had started telling about what had happened in the gazebo earlier that day, but halfway through his voice trailed off and he went silent.

It took a moment before Thorin realised that his oldest nephew was not going to continue. He looked at Fili and noticed that he was shivering all over. It dawned on him that it was not that Fili did not want to continue with the story, he just could not do it.  
Thorin could almost feel Fili's pain. He put his arm around his nephews shoulders. "It's okay, I know this is hard for you".  
"I just don't understand why he did it" Fili blurted out, "why didn't he say anything? I'm his brother, for Durin's sake! No matter the rest of the Company, but he could have at least told me! He… he could have been killed by what he did…" Fili took a couple of deep breaths. "But he didn't" Thorin said, squeezing Fili's shoulder in comfort. "I just cannot bear to live without him" Fili added softly.

Thorin considered those last words, staring out over the valley.  
"I know" he said after a while, "and it is very hard to move on after the death of a family member, especially when you are as close as you two are. But… in the end… you will have to. It took me a long time, but I managed. Still, there is not a day that goes by, that I don't think of Frerin".  
Fili looked at his uncle, not knowing what to say. Never before had he realized that his worst fear, was in fact his uncle's reality.

He and Fili had never known Frerin, for he had died before they were even born. "I'm sorry…" Fili said softly, "I didn't mean to offend you". Thorin looked Fili in the eye, "you didn't" he said, "would you like to hear his story?"  
Fili nodded slowly and Thorin began telling the story of the Battle of Azanulbizar, in which Frerin had perished. Fili listened to his uncle's story breathlessly. Never before had he heard his uncle speak of that battle or of Frerin's death. Thorin's deep voice had a calming effect on Fili.  
Slowly, he felt his panic and worries sink away, even though the story was a sad one.

When Thorin finished telling his story he looked at Fili again.  
"Thank you" Fili said, "It means a lot to me that you told me your story". Thorin gave Fili a small smile, it had meant a lot to him that his nephew had listened to it. "Luckily, you are not in that situation" Thorin said softly, "Kili is still alive and I am sure he will make a full recovery".

He gave Fili a reassuring pat on the back, which caused Fili to whimper in pain.  
"What did I do?" Thorin asked, hands raised in apology. "Nothing" Fili answered, "my back's just bruised from that battle".  
"Did you have the Elves look at it" Thorin asked suspiciously. Fili hesitated, "uh… no, not really" he answered, looking at his uncle apologetically. Thorin gave him a stern look. Fili stared back for a couple of seconds, then sighed.

He turned his back to his uncle. Thorin carefully pulled up his nephew's shirt. He looked at the black bruises covering Fili's back and gave a small grunt. "These must hurt" he said, "how did you get them?"  
"An Orc slammed me into some rocks" Fili answered, "I was… defending you… after you were injured". Thorin suddenly felt a deep respect for his oldest nephew, he really was a very brave man. He let Fili's shirt fall down again. "You'll be fine, no broken bones" he said, "it will hurt for a while, though".

Fili sighed and leaned against the gazebo-wall again.  
"I am proud of you" Thorin said suddenly. Fili looked at his uncle thunderstruck, he was never told anything like this before, by Thorin or anyone else. Thorin smiled, the look on Fili's face was all he needed to see to know that his words meant a lot to his nephew.

"Come on" Thorin said to Fili after a while, "I feel like resting again, these wounds have taken a lot of my energy". Fili helped Thorin get up, and together they walked inside again. Kili had not moved an inch. He was lying on his back, breathing slowly, still in a deep sleep.  
Thorin looked at the sleeping form of his youngest nephew. "He looks peaceful now" he said. Fili nodded, his brother was indeed completely calm now. He, too, was feeling calm now for the first time they had reached Rivendell.

Thorin climbed into his bed. "Go to sleep, Fili" he said, for he still stood next to Kili's bed, "you need your rest as well". Fili could not agree more, he felt exhausted. He felt a lot better after his midnight talk with Thorin.  
He looked longingly to the last unoccupied bed in the gazebo. Thorin caught his doubt, for he said "I am sure you are aloud to sleep there".

Fili hesitated for a short moment, but then pulled off his boots and climbed into the bed. He turned to his side to prevent hurting his back any further, and laid his head down on the soft pillow. It took only a minute before he had fallen asleep.

Thorin lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. It wasn't long before he heard Fili's soft snores, which told him he had fallen asleep. Thorin smiled a little at the comforting sound. Long had he doubted his choice to take his nephews on this quest, but it looked like he had been wrong in doubting them. He was proud of them, both of them. Slowly Thorin closed his eyes, and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**So, this is going to be the last chapter. Hopefully, I was able to give it a satisfying end for you...  
**

Kili woke up from the sunlight shining on his face. For some time he just lay with his eyes closed. He could feel it had been a chilly night, so he enjoyed the warmth of the sun.  
Little by little he became aware of the sounds surrounding him: birds chirping, water flowing, the soft rustle of the wind through leaves, snoring. Snoring? Slowly he opened his eyes, looking up at a wooden ceiling with beautiful carvings. The sun had only just come up, so it must be very early in the morning.

It took him some time to remember what had happened. The arrow, Thorin, Rivendell, his outburst towards Fili. Oh, bugger, Fili!  
He sat upright quickly, too quickly. A blinding pain flashed through his shoulder and he immediately regretted his actions. He took a couple of deep breaths, as the pain in his shoulder slowly ebbed away.

He looked to his left and saw Thorin lying in the next bed. He was lying on his back and was definitely the source of the snoring. Kili felt relief, for it looked like his uncle was going to be alright.  
A small smile crossed Kili's face when he saw his brother lying in the bed opposite him.  
Fili was lying on his front, hair tangled up a bit and one arm hanging over the edge of the bed. He was breathing deep and slow, letting out an occasional soft snore.

Kili noticed that his brother's blankets were only covering him from the waist down, and that he was shivering slightly, probably from the lack of warm blankets. Kili didn't like the idea of his brother being cold. So, silently and carefully, he got out of his bed and shuffled over to his brother's bed, preventing to move his hurt shoulder as less as possible.

Standing next to his brother's bed he noticed Fili's shirt had crawled up a bit during the night, exposing the lower part of his bruised back. Kili looked at the bruises. A lump formed in his throat as he realized that these must hurt badly. He swallowed the lump away and carefully let his fingertips trace the bruises on the small of his brother's back, feeling the warmth coming of them.

Fili let out a soft groan and moved a bit. Kili quickly pulled his hand away, cursing himself silently.  
He had not meant to wake his brother up. However, after this his brother moved no more and resumed his peaceful sleep. Kili sighed, relieved, and pulled the blankets up to over his brother's shoulders. Fili sighed deeply, which Kili took as a sign of gratefulness, a small smile crossing his lips.

Kili wasn't sure what to do next, all of Rivendell was probably still asleep at this early hour.  
He decided to wait until either his brother or Thorin would wake up, not wanting to get lost in Rivendell all by himself. He settled into one of the armchairs, looking at Fili's sleeping form. Before long he was lost in thought.

He sat there for he did not know how long. He was pulled back to reality by his brother waking up.  
Fili groaned softly and moved his shoulders a bit, Kili could hear the joints cracking. He leaned forward in his chair, so he was closer to his brother. Fili opened his eyes a crack and looked sleepily right at Kili. "Hey…" Kili said softly, smiling. It took Fili a moment to realize that he was looking into his brother's face.

"Kili! "he cried out, realizing who was looking at him and jumping out of the bed. The brothers pulled each other into a tight embrace. Both of them winced at this, for it hurt their wounds. They couldn't help but laugh about it.  
"What's that noise?" came the grumpy voice of Thorin, who had woken up from the noise the brothers had made.

When Thorin saw both Fili and Kili awake, with smiles on their faces, he could not help but smile himself. He stepped out of his bed too and walked over to his nephews.  
"It's good to see you are both doing better" he said, placing a hand on each of his nephew's shoulders. He then turned to Kili, with a serious look on his face, "I think you have some explaining to do".  
Kili made to say something, but his uncle interrupted him. "No, no, not to me" he said, motioning with his head towards Fili. Kili looked at Fili, who's face had fallen into a serious expression.  
"Yes, I think so too" Kili replied. Thorin looked both his nephews in the eye for a second, then pulled on his boots and limped out of the gazebo. He probably was off to look for the rest of the Company.

For a couple of minutes there was an awkward silence between the two brothers, neither of them knowing where to begin.  
"You scared the living daylights out of me" Fili said softly after a while, not looking at his brother. Kili had been dreading what was to come, "I am so sorry" he answered, looking at the ground.  
Suddenly Fili threw out everything that had been bothering him ever since they had come to Rivendell, unable to keep it in any longer.

"Why, Kili, why didn't you just say anything? Do you even realize how stupid you have been?! You could have killed yourself! I was so worried, I thought I was going to lose you! And I just… cannot bear to live without you…" Kili felt himself shrink with shame, he had put his brother through so much misery, he now realized. "I just needed to make sure Thorin was going to be alright… I guess I wasn't really thinking" he whispered back. Fili shook his head madly "I even asked you several times if you were alright, you could have at least told _me_! Not just keeping your mouth shut and hoping it would all go away!" He was now yelling at Kili, breathing heavily.

Kili thought back at that moment when he had given his brother the angry reply. He realized more than ever how much that had hurt Fili, how everything he had done the day before must have been agony for his brother. Kili sighed deeply. "I am so sorry" he said softly, "I didn't mean to hurt you. I could never hurt you on purpose. I have been an idiot in doing this, I know that, and Fili…" Fili finally looked up at his brother's face again. "… I cannot live without you either" Kili finished his sentence.

Kili had a look on his face Fili had never seen there before. It was a mixture of hurt, apology and shame. Seeing that, Fili suddenly felt he could no longer be mad at his brother, "just don't ever do that again" he said weakly, pulling his brother into another embrace. "I promise" Kili whispered into Fili's hair, glad his brother was forgiving him.

They held onto each other for some time. When they let go, they stood facing each other uneasily for a moment. "I'm actually quite hungry" Kili said, breaking the tension. Fili noticed that he was famished himself too. "Let's see if the Elves' cooking is any good" Fili said smiling. Kili returned the smile.

"You think you can walk?" Fili asked his brother after they had properly dressed and put their boots back on. He looked at his brother with a bit of concern.  
"As long as you do not start running and we don't bump into any Orcs, I think I will be fine" Kili answered, his usual mischievous look had already returned to his eyes. Silently, they slowly walked out of the gazebo. Fili ready to support his brother in case it was necessary.

Fili cast a sideways glance at Kili. Even though his brother still appeared to be in pain, he was right there walking beside him. He knew his brother had learned his lesson, but at the same time he knew that their safety could not always be guaranteed.  
The Company would probably stay in Rivendell for another few days, to give Thorin and Kili the chance to regain their strength as much as possible. But Fili knew that once they left Rivendell the road would be as dangerous as ever again, and then they had not even reached Smaug's lair yet. What would happen to them then? What would be their faith in the end? Would they still be alive at the end of the journey?

He felt his brother's shoulder brush past his as they slowly walked away from the House of Healing.  
For now they could have their moment of peace, just a couple more days of laughing and peacefully being together before they would be off again. And if, in the end, he or his brother would have to perish on this quest, he just hoped it would be quick. He feared suffering, and he knew Kili did too.

"I love you" Fili suddenly said to his brother, voice sounding thick. "I love you too" Kili answered, looking at his brother. Both of them had never felt so happy walking next to the other, just to be together. No matter what the future held for them, nothing or no one could ever take this moment away from them anymore, and that meant the world.

**Thank you very much for reading! Please let me know what you thought of the story :-)  
****This was my first ever fic, but I have loved writing this story and loved reading your lovely reviews, so this has definitely motivated me to keep on writing!**


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